We, the communities of Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Region 4, engage all students in a rigorous and collaborative educational program. We prepare our learners to be respectful citizens who are empowered to contribute in a globalized society.

District Strategies for 2017-2020

All schools and staff will be dedicated to pursuing and implementing the strategies that the strategic planning team identified as the most crucial to the improvement of student success in our priority identified skills. They are:

Operationalize a three-community, unified focus – Pre-K to 12 – on critical and creative thinking for solving difficult problems and to focus and align the districts’ goal-setting processes with these priorities across towns, buildings, and grades.

Clarify/unify the assessment philosophy of the districts and comprehensively audit the use of assessment resources to ensure they are consistently applied throughout the districts and then build/use the assessment capacity of the districts to enable reliable assessment and data reporting of student proficiency in the priority skills (3-year process).

Data collection across the districts

Assessment audit

Assessment philosophy

Support teachers in the enhancement of their capacity to teach (professional learning, development, support, and feedback) and assess higher-order thinking skills (critical and creative problem solving) in a digital learning environment (Educator Evaluation Rubric 3B and 3C).

superintendent's corner

Region 4 Superintendent Goals 2018-2019

Year 2 of a 3 year plan

Dr. Ruth Levy

Region 4 Mission Statement:

We, the communities of Chester, Deep River, Essex and Region 4, engage all students in a rigorous and collaborative educational program. We prepare our learners to be respectful citizens who are empowered to contribute in a globalized society.

District Strategies for 2017-2020

1. Establish Critical and Creative Problem solving as a guiding principal. Operationalize a three community, unified focus - Pre-K to 12 – on cultivating critical and creative problem solving. Focus all educators’ goal setting processes with this priority, with consistent application across towns, buildings and grades.

2. Develop an assessment philosophy and practice across the district: Will audit the use of assessment resources to ensure that they are consistently applied throughout the district. From there, build and use the assessment capacity of the district to enable reliable assessment and data reporting of student proficiency in the priority skills. At the end of three years we will have the following items completed with annual updates:

• Data collection across the district

• Assessment Audit

• Assessment Philosophy

3. Support teachers in the enhancement of their capacity (professional learning, development, support and feedback) to teach and assess higher order thinking skills (critical and creative problem-solving) in a digital learning environment. - (Educator Evaluation Rubric 3B and 3C)

• The individual boards accepted this guiding principal and incorporated it into their board goals

• The administrative staff and the teaching staff have been developing and implementing curriculum that build CCPS. Furthermore, the administrative staff in R4 applied for authorization to provide an International Baccalaureate degree and become an IB World School

In year two, 2018-2019, the work started in year 1 will continue, and includes:

1. Continued alignment of Board of Education, Administrator, and educator goals at all

levels to district focus on Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving.

2. Finalization and full implementation of CCPS rubrics

3. Authorization to provide an IB accredited Diploma Programme at the high school and begin evaluate our readiness in the middle school for Middle Years International

Baccalaureate Programme.

4. Continued alignment for professional development

New Action Strategies:

1. Design and pilot assessments aligned to CCPS grade K -12

2. Research exemplar district philosophy statements and begin drafting statements for our district

3. Expand manufacturing opportunities and courses at Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School.

• Safety and Security audits will be conducted at each school and central office with

prioritized recommendations to be considered during budget deliberations.

• We will explore options for tuition-based enrollment in our districts for non-residents.

Community Relations Goals:

• Social and Emotional Wellness Committee will continue to provide community-parent presentations about emotional wellness.